Lesson of Trust

     While reading The Road one of the more preeminent events was the boys first swim lesson. This was a true time of bonding between the two of them. This moment was small but significant. It acted as a huge mood enlightener for both the boy and the father. In a world where there is no reason to live and struggle is a constant reality it is a necessity for an occasional fun or enjoyable moment. It is also important to have these kind of moments in a world with no hope or definite future. In the long run either the dad or son will die and the one who survives will have this moment to relish. This is an example of true reality of an apocalypse. Today every TV show or movie glorifies the end of the world. Somehow the hero has just enough bullets to kill the zombies attacking him or her. The Road brings a sad but real aspect to the end of the world. The swim lesson is just an example that times have to be cherished, especially in the end of the world scenario.

 

    

      This event was not simply a mood enlightener or satire. It also establishes the idea of trust. The boy and the father have conversations that sound as if they are foreign to each other, "Is it cold? Yes. It's freezing. Do you want to go in? I don't Know. Sure you do. Is it okay? Come on."(McCarthy 33). Their conversations seem so quick and elementary. The swim lesson allowed for a bond of trust to be created. The creation of this trust is truly important because it allows for a stronger relationship. The book does not provide much in the case of a back story, this means we don't know the type of ties that the boy and father have. This lesson may have been one of the first times the father truly shows the boy he can trust him and that he will be there for him and protect him. This is also important because in an apocalyptic world you need someone you can trust.

   Do you have someone you trust in the case of an apocalypse or in a doomsday scenario?

   How would you feel in a end of the world scenario?